The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Mechanical relays have several practical advantages over other types of power control. Because of the low ohmic resistance of metallic contacts, the on-state power dissipation of a relay is inherently low. One drawback to mechanical relays is the degradation of the contact material caused by electrical arcing as the contacts are made and broken. Breakdown of the contacts may cause the device to become inoperable.
Because solid-state switching devices must dissipate a significant amount of power, bulky and expensive heat dissipation devices must be employed.
Often times, arc suppression circuits use discrete circuitry to control the operation of the power-switching device. One drawback to this approach is that adjusting the circuit and the timing may not be performed. In certain conditions, it may be desirable to modify the operating characteristics of the arc suppression circuitry to adjust to various conditions.
Another example of an arc suppression circuit includes a microcontroller. The microcontroller has an input for controlling using discrete voltages is set forth. A microcontroller configuration is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,024.
It would, therefore, be desirable to control an arc suppression circuit to meet the needs of various conditions.